Also called Colorado four o’clock, this herbaceous perennial is native to southwestern US from California to Colorado and Texas where it grows in deserts, grassland, hillsides, meas, and pinyon-juniper woodland. It is a member of the Nyctaginacea family that also includes Bougainvillea and Abro nia. Plants have a large taproot and form low clumps of multiple branching stems that are up to 2′ tall by 3-4’wide. The dark green fleshy leaves are oval or rounded and up to 4.7″ long. From mid summer to frost, 1-6 magenta flowers appear in the leaf axils and upper branches. Each flower is 1.5-2.5″ across and lacks petals but has 5 partly fused petal-like sepals surrounding 5 pink stamens tipped with yellow anthers. As the common name suggests, the flowers open in the late afternoon and close in the morning. The number of flowers is dependent on recent rainfall. Desert four o’clock is very drought tolerant and an excellent choice for xeriscape. The genus name, Mirabilis, is the Latin word meaning wonderful. The specific epithet, multiflora, is from the Latin words multus meaning many, and Flora, the name of the Roman goddess of flowers, and refers to the abundance of flowers that are produced when rainfall permits.
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Bloom: One to six magenta bell-shaped flowers 1.5-2.5″ across from mid summer to frost
Size: 2′ H 3-4′ W
Light: Full sun to light shade
Soil: Average to lean, dry to medium moist, well-drained
Hardiness: Zones 6-10
Care: Low maintenance
Pests and Diseases: None of significance
Propagation: Seed, division in spring
Companion Plants: Prickly pear, yucca, Mexican feather grass,